A Limnade Nymph
by BittersweetSienna
Summary: Pallet Town has a mysterious lake that's believed to be haunted. What happens when Ash goes there and meets someone that he won't soon forget? AU One-shot. Pokeshipping with a side of oldrivalshipping. That's right, I didn't do contestshipping for once.


_Oh hey there person reading my story, just a before warning and it's pretty fluffy with a hint of cliché._

_Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon, it's characters or a limnade, I didn't make that up it's a real kind of nymph.  
_

_R & R_

* * *

**_A Limnade_**

**_AU_**

Ash sighed as the pebble, that had previously been skipping, finally fell into the water. He'd been teased again at school for being an 'idiot', a 'freak' and for being so different. It was the last day before summer break so he'd been pretty pissed off.

He wasn't stupid nor a freak and he used to be proud of being different.

Sure, he was dense but he certainly wasn't stupid, as they called him. Lucky for him he had Leaf and Gary as friends. The three had been friends since forever but he noticed he couldn't lean on them lately.

Because he'd become the third wheel.

Leaf and Gary were now dating and, like everything else, that had turned his life upside down. He still hated his father for leaving his mother and that it was his father's fault his life sucked.

But it really wasn't. Just like this lake wasn't haunted like everyone in Pallet Town thought.

For some reason everyone thought when you were within 100 feet of this lake you would be cursed or die or something like that. Maybe it had to do with the fact that the lake had suddenly appeared in what use to be a thick forested area fifteen years ago, a few months after Ash was born.

Naturally that had drawn Ash in. He'd been so sick of everything today that he'd tested out the curse, of course nothing had happened.

Ash ran a hand through his spiky raven hair with his gloved hand, that is, his fingerless gloved hand.

Sighing, Ash looked at his reflection. His hair was spiked under a red and white cap with 'L' on it. Ash didn't know what the l stood for. Ash also wore a navy hoodie, jeans and black sneakers. For several seconds he stared at his brown eyes before kicking the water, ignorant of the fact it would soak his shoe, sock and foot.

"Hey, that hurt! Get lost."

The sharp voice rang through the air and Ash jumped, but there was something about the voice that made him feel slightly comfortable.

Then the most bizarre thing happened.

The entire lake suddenly glowed a bright white and a girl formed from the light.

'Now this is freaky' Ash thought as he stared at the girl.

The girl had bright orange hair that stopped right above her shoulders and her blue dress covered her legs, feet and arms but stopped at her wrists and the dress appeared to be made of water.

As strange as the situation was, the girl made Ash's heart beat faster. Not in a bad way but in a way Gary had once explained to him. In a way of love.

Nothing explained 'love at first sight' to Ash more than this moment and the red head felt the same way.

Heat began rising to both their cheeks until the girl roughly asked, "Why'd you kick me!"

Ash widened his eyes. "I kicked you? Sorry. I was actually trying to kick myself since I was kicking my reflection. Everyone at school, except Leaf and Gary, tease me for being stupid, a freak and different. I don't know why and I've become the third wheel since Leaf and Gary are dating. It's not better at home 'cause my mom baby's me since my dad left her and I'm just... sick of it."

The girl stared at him. "Oh. I know what you mean by the teasing. Nobody likes my lake and thinks it's haunted. Ever since I was born, made, whatever, nobody has come and I don't have any usual people, which we limnades tend to refer to as friends, I don't have any friends."

Ash smiled. "A limnade is a fresh water lake nymph, right?"

The red head grinned. "Yeah! Why do they call you stupid? Almost no one knows that!"

"Well, I'll definitely be your friend, at least over summer, anyway. Especially if you are a human like now", Ash said.

"Hmm. I don't know."

"Come on…"

"Well, I'm Misty."

"Ash. Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town."

Misty whacked him on the head. "I figured that out, stupid!"

And for once Ash just laughed and Misty did too.

That's the way it was for the summer. Ash visited Misty and they talk or play childish games like chasey or imagination games. Eventually Leaf and Gary followed Ash to the lake, curiosity taking over, and they were introduced to Misty. Immediately the four became close but sometimes Leaf and Gary would go on dates instead of visiting Misty.

XxxxX

"I win!"

Leaf huffed, placed her hands on the edge of the lake and hauled herself out of the lake to reveal that she wore a green bikini. "Of course you won, Misty. You literally are water and part of the lake."

Misty laughed, "Guess it wasn't fair."

"Stop being a brat, Leafy. It's not your fault you aren't an awesome limnade. Think about it this way, you've got an awesome boyfriend instead!" Gary smirked at the brunette girl who stared blankly at him for several seconds. Then Leaf picked up his towel and held it over the lake and let it drop.

"Hey, Leafy!"

"Shut it." Leaf responded to Gary before walking over to the picnic blanket the group had laid out earlier.

Ash laughed and jumped out of the lake. Misty screwed up her face. "Eww. Now I'm all over Gary's towel! Ash, Leaf, dry the towel."

Ash grinned. "If we dry it, you'll just evaporate."

Misty groaned and lifted herself out of the water then sat on the picnic blanket between Ash and Leaf with a wet Gary, who had to dive into the lake again to get his soaked towel, sitting across from her. They ate their lunch in playful conversation with plenty of laughs.

Gary glanced at the water. "Second last day of freedom."

"Gary! You promised on the last day of summer we'd go to the new amusement park that opened, well opens tomorrow!" Leaf said as she suddenly launched herself at him, the green eyed girl looked up at him from his lap and whined. "You promised, Gary-beary."

The male brunette groaned. "I'll take you just please don't call me that, it's so… just not cool." The other three laughed at Gary's expense.

Misty sighed. "Too bad I can't come with you guys to the amusement park. It sounds like fun." Ash grinned at the red head.

"It is, especially all the different types of food they have!"

The raven haired boy was then thumped on the head with a mallet. "**Is that all you think about? Food and eating?**"

Ash whined and rubbed his head and ears, Leaf and Gary just rubbed their ears. "Of course not, Mist. I think about my mom, Gary, Leaf and I think about you! I think about sleeping and the horror that is homework, too. Specifically the homework we'll get when we get back from school."

Misty rolled her eyes. "This is why I like being a nymph and not a human, I don't have to go to school." She then smiled and the four laughed again.

XxxxX

"Have fun at the amusement park tomorrow you two! And Ash, don't forget to bring food for yourself tomorrow, because I don't have a kitchen we can just randomly grab food from!"

Gary and Leaf waved as the turned around and darted off into the orange tinted trees. It was sunset and the three had to get home to their parents. Ash grinned at the red head as he stopped before the trees. "I will! Tomorrow we'll swim, watch clouds, have a picnic and I will not be hit by your mallet!" With that he turned and ran home with the picnic basket in his hands.

The red head shook her head. Tomorrow was going to be the most fun of all the days they'd spent together, she was going to make sure of that. She then turned around pondering whether to take up Ash's challenge on whether or not he'd be hit by her mallet. She decided she would, it wasn't much of a challenge.

The day went as Misty and Ash had planned, except Ash's plan of not being hit by the red heads mallet. But throughout the day Misty kept spacing out and it bothered Ash. It wasn't until sunset that Misty finally told the raven haired boy what she needed to tell him and Ash felt something he should've known was coming.

He tightened his hug around the nymph. "W-what?"

"I'm leaving, Ash. I was told off for appearing so close to town. You three didn't tell about me so that didn't matter. But, apparently I'm a waste of space."

Ash felt warm tears fall onto his hoodie. "Misty."

"I'm sooo sorry, but I have to leave you. But I promise on the nymphs of the world that I'll see you again", Misty stopped crying and pulled away. "Tell Leaf and Gary and don't you dare forget about me!"

Ash laughed, pushing his tears away. Misty hit Ash lightly on the head. During their time Ash had learnt that Misty had a hot temper but under it hid a kind girl and in return Misty had learnt what a big heart Ash really had.

Ash stared into Misty's cerulean eyes. "I'd never forget you, Mist."

Misty smiled fondly at the white nickname Ash came up with. She nodded. "Ash, I-I love you..."

The boys eyes widened as she began to glow along with the lake. He couldn't hesitate. "I love you, too Mist."

He watched as her eyes widened and she reached for him as he did her but before they touched, she was gone.

"Hey Ash! We're here!"

Leaf's voice rang through the empty area and Ash felt his throat run dry.

"A-ash? Where's Misty?"

Leaf looked around, panicked. Beside her Gary watched his best friend as tears ran down Ash's face and one thought ran through Gary's mind, it had happened again.

XxxxX

"I heard you have a new neighbour, Ash! Did you meet them?"

Two weeks had passed and the three besties were at school. Ash ignored Leaf as he continued to stare out the window. Leaf sighed and turned to Gary. Over those two weeks, Ash had barely left his room and didn't leave the house unless it was to eat or for school. Gary and Leaf had pretty much given up.

Classes passed and soon enough, Ash was sitting under a tree outside. Ash didn't hear a word other students said. He didn't care. Not any more. He heard someone sit beside him. He ignored them.

"Ash Ketchum stop ignoring the world, right now. Just because you ignore it doesn't mean it doesn't exist , 'cause it still exists."

"What the-"

Ash turned to face Misty. She was frowning at him, arms crossed. Misty looked like she did two weeks ago except she wore a grey plaid skirt, a white polo, long white socks and black school shoes. The female school uniform, in other words.

"Mist?"

"Yes Ash?"

"MISTY!"

Everyone turned their attention to see Ash twirling around a red head, recognised as the new girl, by her waist. Both were laughing and soon Leaf and Gary joined their joy fest.

XxxxX

"C'mon, Ash. Stop being a wuss. Leaf and I wanna go on the Ferris wheel and Gary doesn't care."

"You owe me a hamburger, then!"

"Deal! Now, let's go!"

Misty and Ash ran to the Ferris wheel and lined up behind Leaf and Gary. Misty told them that it turned out gods had problems turning away true love, which apparently Ash and Misty had.

Soon after, Ash asked Misty on a date and they began dating. Ash wasn't stupid or a freak but he was different. Not that anyone but Leaf, Misty and Gary knew.

I mean, who meets a nymph? Let alone falls in love with one.

Not that the four cared Misty had been a nymph.

* * *

_Dada! Yay for me! I finished a one-shot that wasn't contestshipping. By the way I did absolutely no research on nymphs so this is off the top of my head. The one thing I did look up was what a limnade is. I also found some interesting other nymphs, so I might do an ikarishipping and contestshipping one-shot with nymphs and join the three one-shots together as like an epilogue thing. Let me know what you think and is I get like five yes's I might do it… or I'll just do it anyway. I am working on my second contestshipping one-shot in the picture series, a one-shot for several shippings and other random things like contestshipping one-shots and forcing myself to fix my one-shots based on reviews… I do a lot of one-shots don't I? Hmph maybe one day I'll get round to doing an actual story._

_Love from Sie_

_(Sadly this fic only made it to just over 2,000 words 'cause I ran out of inspiration for Misty and Ash and this story was only really for pokeshipping not oldrivalshipping.)_


End file.
